Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Hour Media Acquires Bridal Celebrations and Bridal University Shows
Hour Media in Troy has acquired Bridal Celebrations and Bridal University Bridal Shows from RSC Productions in Shelby Township. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
This acquisition will be integrated into Hour Media’s events portfolio and align with its Metro Detroit Weddings publication, further solidifying its position as the “premier resource for couples planning their dream wedding in the region.”
“We are looking forward to building on an already successful partnership with the bridal shows and integrating them into our lineup of events,” says John Balardo, president of Hour Media. “Strengthening our commitment to the wedding industry, this acquisition will provide unparalleled experiences for engaged couples in the metro Detroit area.”
The bridal shows are known for their ability to connect engaged couples with top vendors and wedding professionals and have become indispensable events in the wedding industry in metro Detroit.
“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Bridal Celebrations and Bridal University by Hour Media. It has been an incredible journey building the bridal shows, and we are proud of the success we have achieved,” says Rick Coletti, founder of RSC Productions. “As we pass the torch to Hour Media, we are confident that they will take the shows to new heights and continue providing outstanding experiences for engaged couples in the metro Detroit area.”
As part of this acquisition, Hour Media, which publishes DBusiness, Hour Detroit, Detroit Design, and numerous other magazines, says it will work closely with the RSC Productions team to ensure a seamless transition.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Now Open in Mt. Pleasant
Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced its newest location is open for business in Mt. Pleasant, inside the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
The Mt. Pleasant Ruth’s Chris restaurant, located at 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd., is 8,965 square-feet and features three main dining rooms, a bar and bar-lounge, patio with ample seating, as well as a private dining room that can accommodate personal and family celebrations, and business meetings. The space is designed to provide a comfortably elegant, warm, and welcoming dining experience for every guest.
“We’ve had the absolute pleasure of serving the Michigan community for many years, and are fortunate to make our one-of-a-kind experience available to even more guests in the area,” says Michael Atkins, general manager of the Mt. Pleasant Ruth’s Chris. “Ruth’s Chris offers guests an exclusive dining experience — whether they’re celebrating a special occasion or enjoying an intimate dinner — no matter the size, we look forward to welcoming guests into our restaurant and showcasing the highest quality food, beverages, and service in a warm and inviting atmosphere.”
As part of the pre-opening celebration for its newest restaurant, Ruth’s Chris hosted a special dinner with community leaders, business owners, and Ruth’s Chris executives with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the Greater Lansing Food Bank.
“The Mt. Pleasant location is our fourth in the Michigan area, representing an exciting expansion in the region that further entrenches us in Michigan’s fine dining scene,” says Cheryl Henry, president and CEO of Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc. “We’re thrilled to continue to serve this community and look forward to more expansion opportunities in the near future.”
For more information, visit here.
Waterford Medical Portfolio Selects Etkin as Property Management and Leasing Company
Etkin in Royal Oak has been named property manager and leasing agent for the Waterford Medical Portfolio located at 4000, 5210, and 5220 Highland Road in Waterford Township.
The three buildings consist of approximately 100,000 square feet and features a surgery center, physical therapy, a pharmacy, and is home to such specialties as neurosurgery, pulmonary, ear nose and throat, gastroenterology, physical and sports medicine, and cardiology.
“We are excited to get our arms around this project and create significant value for ownership,” says Matt Fenster, vice president of leasing and business development for Etkin. “Our client is looking to invest in the property to increase occupancy and ensure long-term value for their investment.”
Curtis Burstein, CEO of Etkin, says: “These buildings fit nicely within our growing health care portfolio. Our expertise in this space make Etkin uniquely qualified to reposition these properties for success.”
For additional information, visit etkincare.com.
Organizations Team to Enhance Detroit River Wildlife Experience for Color Blind Visitors
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and EnChroma in Berkeley, Calif. are collaborating to improve the experience for color blind visitors to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIW).
EnChroma produces glasses for color blindness.
Refuge guests who are red-green color blind can now use newly installed special SeeCoast viewer scopes, adapted with EnChroma lenses for color blindness, to enjoy nature in clear, vibrant color for the first time.
One in 12 men (8 percent) and one in 200 women (.5 percent) are Color Vision Deficient (CVD); an estimated 13 million in the United States, 350 million worldwide and roughly 425,000 in Michigan. While people with normal color vision see more than 1 million shades of color, those with Color Vision Deficiency only see an estimated 10 percent of hues and shades. As a result, colors can appear dull, indistinct, and difficult to discern.
Located along the lower Detroit River and western shoreline of Lake Erie, 20 miles south of Detroit, and operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America.
“The chance to help provide expanded access to the beauty of the colors of nature is a true privilege,” says Todd Weston, park ranger at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. “This is just one step along the path to making the outdoors equitable for all.”
Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma, says: “The ability to see all the colors in nature is taken for granted, but that’s not the reality for millions of visitors to our nation’s parks. Fifteen states, at nearly 40 state and national park locations, have already recognized this and support accessibility for color blind visitors by offering EnChroma-adapted scenic viewers and/or glasses for the color blind. We are very pleased that Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the seventh park in Michigan alone to do so.”
Southwest Detroit Business Association to Host Small Business Mixer June 22
The Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) will host a Connection and Collaboration Mixer to bring together local entrepreneurs, community leaders, and influencers at the association’s newly reimagined office (7752 W. Vernor Hwy.) in southwest Detroit.
The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. on June 22.
Southwest Detroit small business owners are invited to attend this free networking event to mingle with peers and meet the SDBA’s resource partners and program staff.
“Southwest Detroit small businesses play a crucial role in our local economy, contributing to job creation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development,” says Laura Chavez-Wazeerud-Din, interim president and CEO of SDBA. “We invite anyone interested in growing their business, expanding their professional network, and building relationships that will lead to meaningful collaborations to join us at this engaging and informative event.”
Rock Family of Cos. Team Members Eclipse 1M Hours of Community Volunteering
The Rock Family of Cos. and Rocket Community Fund announced that the organization’s team members have now spent 1 million hours volunteering with community organizations and nonprofits.
Team members have participated in more than 150,000 volunteer events with over 4,800 organizations nationwide.
“We are lucky to have thousands of team members who give of their most valuable resource — their time and talents — to impact countless lives and help make our communities stronger,” says Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Rocket Community Fund. “Achieving the milestone of 1 million volunteer hours is a direct testament to our team members and their belief in our Ism of ‘do the right thing.’”
Volunteer engagement and giving for the “Rock Family of Cos.,” which refers to Rocket Companies, Bedrock, and other related companies, are managed by the Rocket Community Fund.
More than 70 percent of the 1 million volunteer hours were conducted by Detroit-based team members. That includes more than 100,000 hours spent with food resource organizations, including Gleaners Community Food Bank and Forgotten Harvest. Additional high-hour categories where team members shared their talents include housing-based volunteerism and skilled mentorship programming/tutoring.
The milestone was reached at a volunteer event through The Greening of Detroit at Lafayette Gardens in downtown Detroit, where 10 team members volunteered the morning of June 13 before attending a surprise organization-wide celebration at the 1001 Woodward Ave. building.
The Greening of Detroit is a non-profit organization focused on enhancing the quality of life for Detroiters by planting trees, providing job training and involving youth in the education of the natural environment. Rock Family of Companies team members have contributed nearly 20,000 volunteer hours to the organization.
Volunteerism by the numbers
Overall volunteerism:
- 1 million hours
- 150,583 volunteer events
- 35,687 team members
- 4,813 organizations
Top categories include food resource, housing, skilled mentorship/tutoring and environmental sustainability organizations.
Detroit-specific team member volunteerism:
- 712,626 hours
- 126,407 volunteer events
- 27,096 team members
- 3,297 organizations
Zekelman Holocaust Center to Host ‘Here I Lived: The Movement to Never Forget’
The Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC) in Farmington Hills, in partnership with the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, invites the public to an in-person event entitled “Here I Lived: The Movement to Never Forget,” featuring Terry Swartzberg, a leading figure in the Stolpersteine (stumbling stone) movement. Swartzberg heads the Munich chapter.
The event will take place at 7 p.m. June 15 at The Zekelman Holocaust Center (28123 Orchard Lake Road).
Nearly 100,000 brass-plated cubes known as “stumbling stones” have been embedded into streets across Europe outside the last known addresses of Holocaust victims. Each one is individually fashioned, engraved with the memorialized person’s name, birthdate, and fate. As Clint Smith wrote in an article about the Stolpersteine movement in The Atlantic, the stumbling stones help people connect to individual stories of a history that runs the risk of becoming abstract as the decades pass.
Registration, which is required for attendance, can be done here.
Detroit Institute of Arts Presenting ‘Lynch/Oz’ Documentary June 16-18
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting a weekend of screenings of “Lynch/Oz,” the 2022 documentary about cinematic genius of David Lynch, at the Detroit Film Theatre June 16-18.
Directed by documentarian Alexandre O. Phillipe, “Lynch/Oz” explores Lynch’s obsession with the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” and how recurring images and themes from that movie — saturated color, red shoes, howling winds, a longing for home — became part of the director’s own iconography and his unique, highly stylized, often unsettling films.
Phillipe’s use of split-screen montages to show this evolution feature beautifully restored footage from Lynch’s greatest films, including “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” “Mulholland Drive,” and “Twin Peaks.”
“‘Lynch/Oz’ is an extraordinary documentary,” says Elliot Wilhelm, curator of film programs at the DIA. “It provides an in-depth exploration of the director’s creative process and showcases his ability to weave a complex tapestry of themes and emotions.”
For more about “Lynch/Oz” and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Islamic Center of Detroit to Open Muhammad Ali Park in Detroit June 21
The Islamic Center of Detroit (ICD) will officially open Muhammad Ali Park (8279 Mark Twain St.) in Detroit at noon on June 21.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and the Ambassador of Qatar in Washington Meshal Bin Hamad Al Thani will be hosting the event.
The evening prior to the park’s opening, ICD will host a dinner for the mayor and the ambassador along with dignitaries and other community leaders.
The new park is an upgrade to an area that was previously an empty, unkempt lot named the Belton-Mark Twain Park. The ICD adopted the city of Detroit-owned park, generated funds by collaborating with the city, the Embassy of Qatar, Wayne County, and community donors to develop a state-of-the-art family park that all residents in Detroit can enjoy and renamed it Muhammad Ali Park.
The renovation included adding a covered children’s playground, a basketball court, a running and walking track, a soccer field, and a picnic area. The new design was meant to make the park a safe, pleasant, and family-oriented park that is open to all in the nearby neighborhoods.
Forgotten Harvest Announces Round Two of $5M Agency Capacity Grant Program
Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park Tuesday announced its second round of Agency Capacity Grants, awarding a total of $644,528 to 18 partner agencies that distribute food in metro Detroit.
The grant program recognizes the essential role of its partner agencies to deliver food where it is most needed throughout metro Detroit. The program has granted a total of $1.25 million in the first two rounds of grants. The grant awards are divided into three groups: Innovate, Maintain, and Expand. Round three proposals are due this summer with final decisions to be made in the fall.
“These grants are a major part of our commitment to creating a better food security network by increasing the opportunities to deliver high-quality, culturally appropriate food,” says Adrian Lewis, CEO of Forgotten Harvest. “We value our partners and the entire food security network. Our community is stronger when we work together.”
Organizations receiving grants include:
- Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Detroit
- Yad Ezra, Oak Park
- Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry, Taylor
- Renaissance Vineyard Church Food Pantry, Ferndale
- Patrick Senior Center Inc., Detroit
- Zion Community Enrichment Center Inc., Waterford Township
- Operation Get Down Inc., Detroit
- Twelfth Street Food Pantry, Detroit, Wayne
- Grace Centers of Hope, Pontiac
- Covenant House Michigan, Detroit
- Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Detroit, Detroit
- Fort Street Presbyterian Church, Open Door Ministry, Detroit
- Revival Tabernacle, Detroit
- Detroit Friendship House, Hamtramck
- Gospel Tabernacle Food Pantry, Detroit
- Chaldean American Ladies of Charity, Troy
- Transfiguration Church – Franciscan Outreach Program, Southfield
- Mary, Cause of Our Joy Catholic Church, Westland
Neway Works in Mt. Clemens Partners with Clintondale High School Football Team
Clintondale High School in Clinton Township is partnering with Mt. Clemens-based youth enrichment and development nonprofit organization Neway Works Inc. to offer a five-week whole life success program to members of their high school football team.
Neway Works will bring a hands-on mentoring program that empowers high school students to succeed, focusing on youth development, financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship. The summer pilot program called Project Transformation will run between June 26-Aug. 2.
Building on a curriculum developed by Junior Achievement, Project Transformation helps prepare young people for the real world by showing them; how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.
“At Clintondale we really care about the total well-being of our students,” says Bob Walmsley, athleting director at Clintondale High School. “Athletics is great for developing discipline, motivation, and desire to improve. This program provides them with extra skills. We want to help our students develop the right mind-set for entering the adult world. We want to give them all the resources they need to succeed on life.”
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to Host Good Moves, Good Grooves Event in August
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is planning a Good Moves, Good Grooves event set to take place Aug. 11-13 along the Detroit Riverwalk at Cullen Plaza, Milliken State Park and Harbor in downtown Detroit.
The three-day family-friendly community celebration is being presented by the William Davidson Foundation.
Good Moves, Good Grooves will begin Aug. 11 with Motown Museum’s “Rivertown Revue,” a celebration of music and talent in Detroit followed by a concert on the riverfront featuring The Commodores.
Aug. 12 will feature 3V3 in the D, a three-on-three youth basketball tournament in partnership with the Detroit Parks Coalition and the Pistons Neighbors Program.
There will be a family-friendly one-mile fun run Aug. 13, which will include a Detroit Sports Showcase featuring a sampling of sports such as street hockey, lacrosse, horseback riding, and more – from Project Play: Southeast Michigan. All events for Good Moves, Good Grooves are free and open to the public.
Good Moves, Good Grooves is a one-time event that adds to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s calendar of events celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Other 20th anniversary plans include the opening of two new public spaces, free boat cruises on the Diamond Jack, the premier of a documentary, and a historical photo display along the Riverfront.
“During our 20th year, Good Moves, Good Grooves is the perfect way to bring fun to the riverfront,” says Rachel Frierson, senior director of programs and public spaces for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. “The event will showcase the immense talent we have in Detroit ranging from music to sports. It is a family-friendly event that will have something for everyone to enjoy.”
